- Afrob
Infobox musical artist
Name = Afrob
Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Robert Zemichiel
Alias =
Born = 1979
Died =
Origin = Italy
Instrument =
Voice_type =
Genre =German hip hop
Occupation =
Years_active = 1994 - present
Label =Four Music
Associated_acts = ASDFreundeskreis Ferris MC
URL =
Current_members =
Past_members =
Notable_instruments =Afrob (born Robert Zemichiel in 1979 in
Italy ) is anAfro-German rapper ofEritrea n descent. He is easily recognizable due to his trademarkafro , from which hispseudonym is derived.Biography
Afrob was born in
Italy toEritrea n parents but moved toGermany at a young age. His musical career began in 1994 with performances at a number of hip hop jams. He became known through collaborations with rappers from Stuttgart's hip hop collective, the Kolchose, but it wasn't until 1999 that he released his first solo album, "Rolle mit Hip Hop". The first single from this album, "Reimemonster" ("rhyme monsters"), which featuredHamburg City rapperFerris MC , is still widely regarded as aGerman hip hop classic. The album itself was also enjoyed a fair commercial success, reaching a respectable 13th place in the German album charts. That year, he toured Germany with Kolchose colleaguesFreundeskreis and later as the opening act forDie Fantastischen Vier .His second album, "Made in Germany", which was released in 2001, was less successful, despite featuring acts like Gentleman, Wasi from
Massive Töne orMax Herre andJoy Denalane . This album was more pensive than the first, however, and was interesting due to its social criticism, epitomized by the release of the anti-racist single "Öffne Die Augen" ("Open Your Eyes") with Frankfurt'sD-Flame . Afrob's engagement with Germanracism continued with his participation in theBrothers Keepers project, collaborating with an all-star cast of Afro-German musicians in the single "Adriano".This project also marked the first collaboration with
Samy Deluxe . They met again when they worked on the single "Four Fists" and apparently enjoyed the experience so much that they decided to unite as one group called ASD and record an entire album together. The product of this cooperation was called "Wer Hätte Das Gedacht?" ("Who Would Have Thought So?"), which hit the stores in 2003. The album entered the Top 10 of the charts, but some critics alleged that it lacked depth, as it was primarily a club album with the majority of tracks produced in the U.S..In 2005 Afrob released his latest album "Hammer".
Discography
Albums
* 1999 - "Rolle Mit Hip Hop"
* 2001 - "Made In Germany"
* 2003 - "Wer Hätte Das Gedacht?" (withSamy Deluxe as ASD)
* 2005 - "Hammer"Singles
* 1999 - "Reimemonster" (featuring
Ferris MC )
* 1999 - "Einfach" (featuringMeli )
* 2001 - "Made In Germany"
* 2001 - "Öffne Die Augen" (featuringD-Flame )
* 2003 - "Sneak Preview" (withSamy Deluxe as ASD)
* 2003 - "From Street to the Crowd" (featuring Street-Igor-X)
* 2003 - "Sag Mir Wo Die Party Ist!" (withSamy Deluxe as ASD)
* 2003 - "Hey Du (Nimm Dir Zeit)" (withSamy Deluxe as ASD)
* 2005 - "Wollt Ihr Wissen"
* 2005 - "Es Geht Hoch" (featuring Lisi)
* 2006 - "Zähl Mein Geld"External links
* [http://www.afrob.com Official Website]
* [http://www.fourmusic.com/fourmusic/artists/afrob/index.php Afrob's Label Page]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.